Tag Archives: black people

I’d like to know what my readers think about this. Should Black People be drawn to this movement? Should we consider Black unemployment rates and how many Blacks were affected by the housing crisis (Ponzi Scheme/Gambling in my opinion.) as motivation? Here are a few recent takes on it.

Bonus Question: Is it just me or does the lack of Tea Party involvement or even a thumbs-up or two in the direction of the protesters make it seem even more as if they are the Party of the Rich and of Tax Loopholes? Oh my bad “Job Creators”. LOL! Don’t you love it when people try to reclaim and rename what is and has always been. No no, not slave owners…”Antebellum Job Creators”. Sad.

Finish this sentence for me, people: “Psychologists told Black People to stop spanking their kids and now…” You can leave a comment below.

Why do I ask? Crazy “youngins” on the metro this morning.

If you live in DC, you know that African-American kids can act a dignified fool on the metro trains. I blame this on the fact that many black parents stopped spanking their kids and strayed from the time-tested methods of discipline that worked for our foremothers and forefathers.

Do you think Martin Luther King was put in time out? Did Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis have to sit there and think about what they’d done…and then write a letter to their victim as punishment? I would venture to say that many a famous negro of yesteryear received proper spankings. I’m not talking extension cords, big wooden boards, and other out of the ordinary stuff. I’m not talking about anything that leaves bruises or welts. Spanking with a hand or belt, NOT beatings. You can disagree with me and if you think it’s abuse, you’re entitled to your opinion. As am I.

The #BrownTwitterBird Tweets go from hilarious to just bland and stereotypical. In the end it’s interesting to consider how much influence African-Americans could have in this medium. I think the Slate article was flawed by the fact that you can’t verify race by Twitter profile pics, but hey…whatever. I hadn’t even heard of a “blacktag” until this article and I’m black (really black) so what does that tell you.

Much Love to InnyVinny for creating a monster meme virus that has spread like wildfire.

I would like to think that Black people are tolerant, but when it comes to homosexuality and religion I have to say that many Black folk can be very prejudiced. Today I’m dealing with issue 2: religion.

If you say you’re a Hindu or following Buddha, you might as well say that you joined the Klan in some circles. If you say that you don’t believe in a God or divine being at all and you prescribe to Athism…cancel Christmas (no pun). I know people who have had to hide their faith from their families. I know people who’ve followed time-honored faiths like Islam or dabbled in Metaphysics and have been told they are in a “cult”. I also know people who follow traditional African religions like Yoruba and have been told they “worship the devil”.

For many Blacks there is one way…C-H-R-I-S-T. There is no other option. Period.

Don’t try to argue with them. It’s a losing battle. No point you can come up with is stronger than, “I believe in Jesus and the Bible, and that’s all I have to say.” You can’t even bring up the fact that Christianity is the religion of our oppressors or note that the early church approved slavery of Africans and indigenous peoples.

In 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bullDum Diversas, granting Afonso V of Portugal the right to reduce any “Saracens, pagans and any other unbelievers” to hereditary slavery. This approval of slavery was reaffirmed and extended in his Romanus Pontifex bull of 1455. These papal bulls came to serve as a justification for the subsequent era of slave trade and European colonialism.

They were giving the “savages” religion so I guess they felt it was a fair trade. We all know it was about greed and conquest not spreading the good news. These justifications were the seeds of slavery which spawned the institutional racism that now exists around the world and of course here in the US. Having faced discrimination here in America, you would think Black people would understand how tolerance is needed.

Let me say, I’m not anti-Christian. I’m not pro any particular religion either. What I am for is respect. We can’t condemn foreign states, fringe movements, military, or other powers when they force their people to believe and worship in a particular way, if we don’t practice racial tolerance here in America. Respect should not have limits and boundaries. No geographic, racial, or religious boundaries. Religion is a choice that in America we are blessed to have.

I am so glad that many of my Black, Christian brothers and sisters have found peace in their salvation and are believers. What I find most troubling is that when those who are called “Christian” are unable to walk in love and compassion when dealing with unbelievers. However, there are many who are able to take on the “mind of Christ” and not discriminate, but engage in ways that honor the principles of their faith.

Shoppers at a southern New Jersey Walmart store were shocked Sunday night when a voice came over the retailer’s public-address system announcing: “Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now”. The male voice who delivered the announcement has yet to be identified. Since the racist announcement was made the store has vowed to change its access to the system. Not all of the phones are in the view of security cameras, and some are accessible to the public.

Other than just having a lax policy regarding the PA system extension and access to phones on the job, Walmart should not be faulted for the actions of some crazy employee or random shopper. This is a prank. Racist overtones, yes I see them.

There are tons of things that people could be up in arms about with regard to the way Walmart does business. If you’re still mad about this incident that happened Sunday, perhaps you would consider re-directing your attention to things like this:

What do you think about African-American and Online Dating? What has been your experience? Would you recommend it to your friends? Do you think that it would open up multi-cultural options for single Black women? What are your thoughts?

My Opinion: I’ve tried a number of dating sites in the past. EHarmony was the worst. I suggest the recruit more African-Americans and other ethnicities for balance. They could consider creating a campaign targeting African-Americans that plays on the “Christian values” part of their market. A lot of holy rollers looking for love would go for that. I’ve heard that BlackPeopleMeet is pretty bad in terms of people acting like they are on Craigslist’s Casual Encounters. As an African-American woman, I found my overall online dating experiences lacking. I’m someone who wanted a real relationship and not just something casual. However, I came to believe that you have to lower your expectations when you’re dating online because 1) People lie (and post old photos), 2) Married people and people who should be allowed to date are trolling on these sites (check out dontdatehimgirl.com) and 3) Online dating doesn’t bring out the best in everyone.

Something to consider: In the past, Gallup polls have shown that half of all Black Americans believe it’s “very important” for couples to marry when they have a child — yet according to research from Packaged Facts, more than six out of ten Black Americans are unmarried, thereby making that group the most unattached in America.

Oh Wow. RACIST!! I want to thank Think Progress for posting this. This is some straight BS! If you are a black person living in AZ you need to campaign really, really hard to get this man out of office. Here’s the info:

Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) — one of the most conservative member of Congress, according to a new National Journal ranking — decried the strained state of political discourse in an interview today with blogger-activist Mike Stark. While defending hate radio host Rush Limbaugh, Franks said bipartisanship and “true tolerance” is about “being halfway decent to each other in spite of the differences.” But when the conversation turned to abortion, Franks made a clearly indecent comment, claiming that African-Americans were probably better off under slavery than they are today:

FRANK: In this country, we had slavery for God knows how long. And now we look back on it and we say “How brave were they? What was the matter with them? You know, I can’t believe, you know, four million slaves. This is incredible.” And we’re right, we’re right. We should look back on that with criticism. It is a crushing mark on America’s soul. And yet today, half of all black children are aborted. Half of all black children are aborted. Far more of the African-American community is being devastated by the policies of today than were being devastated by policies of slavery. And I think, What does it take to get us to wake up?

What? Huh? Don’t believe me? Watch it (beginning 6:20):

Franks continued by saying, “[S]ometimes we get angry and say things that we shouldn’t say, and I apologize…[for saying things] that are intemperate. But I don’t want to hide from the truth.”

Truth? Readers, is this the truth? AZ, is this the truth that you want your Representatives to believe in?

Update: Salon.com has picked up the story. They report this: Abortion-rights opponents like to compare abortion and slavery; the Dred Scott vs. Sandford case is often seen on the right as the 19th century equivalent of Roe v. Wade. Still, the comments caught the attention of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

“To compare the horrors and inhumane treatment of millions of African Americans during slavery as a better way of life for African Americans today is beyond repulsive,” said Stephanie Young, a DCCC spokeswoman. “In 2010, during the 2nd year of our first African American president, it is astonishing that a thought such as this would come to mind, let alone be shared. The next time Congressman Franks wants to make assumptions about what policies are ‘best’ for the African American community, he should keep them to himself.” [Full Article]

Um…it’s very interesting what people attribute racism to. Now the facial recognition on Hewlett Packard computers. Let me just say this is a set up for a stupid racial joke that would go something like…”I thought it would be easier to find the whites of their big ole eyes against their dark backdrop.” Yes, yes I know I’m wrong. Anyway, check out the video from Black Desithat is making the claim.

San Francisco – Hewlett Packard, the world’s largest maker of personal computers, said Tuesday that it was investigating a claim that its computers are ‘racist’ because they recognize the facial movements of white users better than those of black ones.

The issue was raised in an anonymous YouTube video that quickly went viral as someone calling themselves Black Desi demonstrated the effectiveness of HP’s facial recognition software.

The built-in PC camera, which is designed to follow individuals’ head movements, fails to track Desi as he moves in and out of the picture, but perfectly follows his white co-worker, Wanda, when she enters the scene.

‘As soon as my blackness enters the frame, it stopped,’ says Desi, who appears to be amused, rather than annoyed, at the limitation. ‘Black Desi gets in there, no face recognition anymore buddy. I’m going on the record and I’m saying it, Hewlett-Packard computers are racist. ‘

In a blog posting, HP officials said they were investigating the claim. ‘We believe that the camera might have difficulty ‘seeing’ contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting,’ wrote HP social media strategist Tony ‘Frosty’ Welch.

‘Everything we do is focused on ensuring that we provide a high- quality experience for all our customers, who are ethnically diverse and live and work around the world.’

Something has me troubled. This seems like the perfect place to collect some input on it:

In a conversation with my daughter and son-in-law the other day I used the word “negro.” They were aghast and horrified. I was not being disrespectful and, frankly, I have long found the word to be rather elegant.

I’d like an African-American’s point-of-view on that.

Thanks.

Pam

Well, African-Americans…What do you think? Is “negro” a bad word? Should this 62 year old grandmother refrain from using it.

I will say, for her generation Negro was far more dignified than Ni**er. Now if she’d referred to black folk as “Colored”…then I could understand her daughter and son-in-law’s reaction. In her prime years, the term “African-American” didn’t even exist and being “Black” was new. My dad said, When he was a kid some people would get made if you called them “Black” (as in “Blackey” or “You ole black so-in-so!”).

Over the last few years of doing this blog we’ve received several comments from people who feel that the name of this blog is offensive. Someone even wrote that Negro was equal to the other N-word. “Negro” is used everyday in Spanish speaking countries. Caucasian would be the white equivalent…no one is calling for a ban on that. We don’t see any thing wrong with the word, however we would suggest that when referring to African-Americans one use “African-American” or “Black”. Very PC.

Wouldn’t you just know it…another way to hinder people from voting…tisk tisk.

Mr. T in DC gave the heads up to Washington DC folk on his blog about this (below). It’s basically like walking into your polling place with a big campaign sign. This isn’t a concert it’s a democratic process, so I’m sure we can all put a jacket over our shirts till we get back into the car, turn it inside out…or something. LOL

I’m sure may be the case in other cities…states Virginia Board Adopts Ban on Campaign Clothing . We dont’ want anyone to told to go back home and change shirts before they can vote on election day. PASS THIS INFO ON!!!! Find out what the LAW is regarding polling places and Campaign Clothing in your state.

One of my (many) worries about the upcoming election is that Democratic voters will be turned away in large numbers because they’re wearing Obama tee shirts. The issue hasn’t really come up before, because typically you don’t get a ton of people wearing tee shirt supporting presidential candidates, but this election is different. With Obama being the first African-American candidate running for president, the black community is enthusiastic about him to the point where a cottage industry has arisen in Obama tee shirts and other paraphernalia. Anecdotally, I see more people walking around in Obama-attire than in all previous elections combined. Obama tee shirts are all over DC.

The catch is that wearing such tee shirts is not allowed in the polling places, as it is considered the same as waving around a campaign sign. That seems fair, but the federal and local governments should make sure they get the word out about the rule, so that thousands of African-American voters aren’t turned away, disappointed, on election day. It would be horrible if the election turns on a strictly enforced interpretation of this rule. I hope that others will help spread the word: it may seem a good idea, but do not wear your Obama tee shirt on election day.